Australia news LIVE: Dutton to name nuclear sites within weeks; Ozempic replicas to be banned in four months

Australia’s communications watchdog has launched Federal Court action against Optus over a September 2022 data breach, in which around 10 million current and former customers had their personal data stolen in one of the worst cyberattacks in the nation’s history.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority alleges Optus breached the law when it failed to protect its customers’ personally identifiable information - including driver’s licences, passport numbers, home addresses and dates of birth - from hackers.

Around 40 per cent of the Australian population are Optus customers and many couldn’t use their phone or internet services on the day of the breach, which led to tougher penalties for serious or repeated breaches of customer data.

Organisations that fail to adequately protect people’s data now face fines of $50 million or more.

“At this stage, Optus Mobile is not able to determine the quantum of penalties, if any, that could arise,” Optus parent company Singtel said in a statement to investors.

“Optus has previously apologised to its customers and has taken significant steps, including working with the police and other authorities, to protect them. Optus Mobile intends to defend these proceedings.”

It said as the matter is before courts, it would not be commenting any further.

The ACMA declined to comment

In Australian political news, more than half-a-billion dollars will be spent as part of a national strategy to turn Australia into a battery making superpower.

The federal government unveiled its national battery strategy on Thursday, in an attempt to increase manufacturing in the industry as global demand is set to quadruple by the end of the decade.

The rollout of the strategy comes as potential sites for nuclear power stations have emerged as part of an opposition plan.

The battery strategy will be spearheaded by a $532 million initiative to promote more battery manufacturing in Australia.

Industry Minister Ed Husic said while Australia provided many minerals for battery making, the manufacturing was often done overseas.

He said it was crucial for Australia to take charge of the whole process for batteries as demand is set to surge.

“We’re very good at mining and refining, a lot of the processing is done in China. We can do a lot more of this onshore,” the minister told ABC Radio.

AAP

It is Wednesday evening in Bangkok and a United Nations of banged-up travellers are shuffling the corridors of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, the accidental harbour of close to 50 patients from Singapore Airlines flight 321.

All but one of them asks to remain nameless. Some are evidently traumatised. Many are seriously injured. One man limps by in a neck brace, sling and stitches.

In the lobby, four glassy-eyed but physically unharmed English children are waiting instructions from a minder about seeing their parents. Mum is upstairs with a snapped collarbone and two cracked vertebrae, they explain. Dad has something wrong with his chest.

A Spanish passenger is in a wheelchair pushed by his wife. They are supposed to be on their honeymoon. An Israeli man brings drinks for his 19-year-old daughter. She is supposed to be prepping for exams in Singapore.

South Londoner Josh Silverstone is on his way to meet friends in Bali, a journey he intends to complete.

He remembers the shudder of the plane and the dings of the seatbelt signs. “And then … boom!” It was the sound of bodies, including his own, crashing into the ceiling. The next few seconds are blank.

Here’s the full story.

Turning to overseas news for a moment, former presidential hopeful Nikki Haley says she plans to vote for Donald Trump at November’s election, months after warning Americans that the US would descend into chaos if he returned to the White House.

In her first public comments since suspending her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in March, Haley once again urged the former president to “reach out” to the millions of people who supported her and not just take their votes for granted.

Speaking in her new role as the Walter P Stern Chair of the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, Haley gave a searing critique of America’s national security weaknesses, saying the nation needed to “grow a spine” particularly in terms of the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s ongoing assault of Ukraine.

Asked whether Trump or Biden would do a better job on national security as president, the former UN ambassador paused briefly, before giving her endorsement to Trump.

Here’s what else she said about her endorsement.

There is no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas, federal Labor minister Ed Husic says.

Speaking on RN Breakfast this morning, the science minister denied that the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants created a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

The court requested warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence chief as well as three Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes on Monday.

“People are being charged on the basis of individual action, there is no moral equivalence between the state of Israel and a terrorist organisation in Hamas. I mean, that simply is not the case,” Husic said this morning.

He said it was important to acknowledge humanity, and that innocent people should not be targeted and should be protected.

“It’s not just Palestinians on the ground, it’s humanitarian workers and it’s journalists, too, [who] should be protected and spared the brutality of what we’ve seen since October 7.”

Authorities have placed a five-kilometre cordon around a Victorian egg farm at the heart of the latest outbreak of avian flu, as they prepare to destroy 400,000 chickens.

Agriculture Victoria confirmed late yesterday that the highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of avian influenza virus was the cause of a number of bird deaths at the egg farm near the small town of Meredith, between Ballarat and Geelong.

Authorities placed movement controls around the farm overnight, in an attempt to control the further spread of the virus, while the remaining chickens are killed and the site is cleared of infection.

Contact tracing is also under way to determine the source and spread of the infection.

The H7N3 strain of avian flu is different from the virulent strain of H5N1, which has been ripping through wildlife populations on every continent except Australia.

Fears the virus could evolve to pass between mammals were sparked earlier this year when herds of cows in the US state of Texas were infected with the virus and a dairy worker fell ill. Sustained transmission of avian flu between humans has not been recorded.

The last bird flu outbreak in Australia was detected among poultry in 2020.

Authorities have designated a five-kilometre radius around the egg farm as a Restricted Area, also imposing a broader Control Area buffer zone covering an area of 20 kilometres around the farm.

This gives authorities the ability to restrict the movement of poultry, poultry products, equipment and vehicles on or off properties in these areas, and to impose penalties on people who fail to comply with the directions.

Victoria’s Chief Veterinarian Graeme Cooke said Agriculture Victoria staff are on the ground to support the business and are working closely with industry to contain and eradicate the virus.

“Avian influenza is a viral disease of birds found globally,” he said.

The strain of the virus detected near Meredith is H7N3, which is different from the H5N1 avian influenza strain that’s impacting the USA and other parts of the world. H5N1 has not been detected in birds in Australia. 

While cases among humans in direct contact with animals infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are possible, the current risk to the public remains low. 

Consumers should not be concerned about eggs and poultry products from the supermarkets. They do not pose a risk and are safe to consume.”

Outgoing chair of the Australian Republican Movement and former soccer player Craig Foster says he supports FIFA’s proposed ban of Israel because of “the plausible genocide” against Palestinians and that Australians were struggling to have conversations at the moment.

On Tuesday, Olympic champion and former Labor senator Nova Peris resigned as co-chair of the Australian Republican Movement in response to what she described as an “inaccurate and divisive” public intervention made by Foster.

Speaking on ABC Radio National, Foster said his decision to speak up about what was happening to Palestinians in Gaza was something every Australian should be doing.

“Of course the FIFA vote was last week as to whether Israel should be banned. I supported that ban on the basis of the plausible genocide,” Foster said.

“I knew when it was coming near to that FIFA vote that, you know, I would have a choice to make as to whether I was going to step forward and say something and I think we all have a duty to do so, doesn’t matter what role we’re in.”

Foster said he had no frustration with Peris, commending her for her work with the Australian Republic Movement.

“Nova has all my love and she has every right, who’s entitled to her view and I support her as a person, and she’s been a brilliant advocate for the republic over a lot of time,” he said.

“But we need to speak about this. Every person should be able to speak about it, but we can’t … watch what’s happening and remain silent any longer. Every Australian should be stepping forward.”

In breaking news, the NSW government has stepped in to save Eraring, Australia’s largest coal-fired power station, extending its operating life until August 2027.

Under the terms of the agreement, the government will not make any initial payments to the Origin Energy-owned power plant, but Origin will instead decide by March 31, 2025, and 2026 whether it wishes to opt in to an underwriting arrangement for the following financial year.

Taxpayers will share up to $40 million a year of any profits it earns from Eraring, if Origin does opt in to an underwriting agreement. However, if Origin makes a loss, the government would support the company for a share of those losses, capped at $225 million a year.

Under the initial agreement, Eraring must generate at least 6 terawatt hours each year, the equivalent to the typical annual output of two of Eraring’s four generating units and enough to resolve the forecast reliability gap.

Eraring must also maintain its existing workforce of about 220 people, commit to a maintenance plan and adhere to its licence conditions, which includes environmental protections.

Origin now expects to close Eraring on August 19, 2027.

Read the full story here.